Issue link: http://saihq.uberflip.com/i/1536627
sai-national.org • Summer 2025 19 A Wld of Music Larger-than-life statues of the Fab Four greeted me at the waterfront on a picturesque day. It was a short walk to the Beatles Museum at 23 Mathew Street, which is open daily—one day less than the lyrics of their famous song "Eight Days a Week"! The price of admission doesn't include an audio pod catcher (with narration available in several languages), but the additional £1 was worth every pence! I also purchased a colorful Beatles tea towel at the gift shop. The building has no lifts, so visitors must climb two flights of stairs to reach the first of three levels in the extensive collection of over 1,000 objects—some never seen publicly. Each floor concentrates on a different period in the group's career. The first level focuses on 1959–1962, when the Beatles began their journey but had not yet achieved worldwide fame. The second is devoted to "Beatlemania" between 1963–1966, when their name became a household word. The third level details their 1967–1970 studio years. I spent about two hours looking, listening, and reading in this vast museum collection of memorabilia. I followed the chronologically- arranged exhibits, walking clockwise on each floor. Colorful placards marked exhibits, and auditory comment was easy to access. Each floor's banner-sized timeline listed important events in the career of the Beatles. Initially in order to perform in Hamburg, Germany (the European capital of rock and roll), the group needed five members. Unfortunately, the first of their three tours there was cut short: seventeen-year-old George Harrison was deported because he was underage. Later, after Pete Best performed with the group for two years, the manager said, "The lads don't want you anymore," making way for Ringo Starr to become the new drummer. Nonetheless, the Best family relationship with the Beatles continued. Roag Best, a Beatles collector and son of Neil Aspinall, the Beatles road manager and confidant, is the creative director of the Beatles Museum. Roag's mother, Mona, promoted the Beatles from the outset. Formerly billed as the Quarrymen, the foursome was next known for a time as the Silver Beatles until the adjective was later dropped. Their final tour performance was at San Francisco's Candlestick Park on August 29, 1966, the seventh anniversary of their incredibly successful Liverpool debut at the Casbah Coffee Club, formerly limited to jazz performances.